The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER) has notified all unions that across-the-board increases have been deferred until at least January 1, 2021, for all bargaining units, subject to further review at that time. The current salary schedules remain in place for other bargaining units. 

Regarding Discretionary Salary Increases (DSI), we have no information as to a scheduled payment date. Furthermore, this applies to compression and inversion. More information will be forthcoming on the DSI process.

Below is information specific to UUP:

• The 2019 salary schedules (PDF, 1.4 MB) will remain in effect until the raises are paid. 
• Adjunct (part-time) faculty and other employees who are rehired in the fall will be rehired without the 2 percent ATB increases in their salaries. 
• Salary minimums for adjuncts outlined in the agreement for 2020 will not be implemented until the ATB raises are paid; i.e., 3-credit-hour course @ $2,500 remains in effect.
• The eligibility for increases remains the same and is outlined in the UUP agreement.
• When determining any promotional increases, please be aware that retroactive increases will affect the amount of a promotional increase that is processed.
• When hiring employees from other SUNY campuses, please be aware that increases will be processed across campuses as long as the employee meets the eligibility criteria outlined in the UUP agreement.

Please contact Al Galone, payroll manager, or Lydia Kawaler, personnel operations manager, with questions.

Please join me virtually for Buffalo State College’s annual State of the College address on Tuesday, October 20, at 12:15 p.m. A direct link to a video stream of the address will be posted on the President’s Office website the morning of October 20. The address will also be streamed on the college’s YouTube channel.

During my remarks, I will review our many shared accomplishments and incredible individual contributions that have guided us through the most unique academic year of our lifetimes. I will also set the direction for the campus moving forward as we continue to persevere together and collectively believe in Buffalo State’s future, inspire our students, and achieve success.

Following my address and in lieu of our annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony, we will honor this year’s recipients of the President’s and Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence and celebrate the individual accomplishments of our colleagues on campus. A digital program highlighting the award winners will also be posted on the President’s Office website before the event.

I look forward to having you join me virtually on October 20.

The resolve and spirit of our Buffalo State College family is strong. We have banded together over the past nine months to overcome challenges we could never have imagined before these most trying times. From our quick shift to remote instruction in the spring to the incredible efforts to restart our campus this summer and our thorough precautions to keep our COVID-19 infection rate low this fall, the Buffalo State community has consistently risen to the occasion and persevered.

As I wrote last May, we face a cruel reward for our dedicated efforts and comprehensive response to the pandemic. While we have avoided the worst-case scenario outlined in May—thanks in part to only a modest 3.2 percent decline in enrollment this fall (8,339 total enrollment)—we still face significant and distressing financial challenges in the year ahead. In August, Vice President for Finance and Management Laura Barnum presented an update on the 2020–2021 budget implementation, citing SUNY System Administration’s decision to initially provide us with only enough direct state tax support to cover six months of operations. The balance of our state tax support remains in flux as New York State grapples with an anticipated $14 billion deficit from the pandemic.

While we remain hopeful that a federal stimulus bill will provide some much-needed relief to state and local governments, giving New York State the means to provide our full allocation of tax support, SUNY continues to advise campuses to expect a 25 percent reduction in funding in view of the state’s projected deficit. At Buffalo State, that reduction would be roughly $5 million.

Furthermore, before the onset of the pandemic, we talked at length as a campus community over the past three years about our structural financial challenges from declining overall enrollments and unfunded negotiated salary increases. Despite a successful effort to reduce our expenses by $7 million during our three-year budget rebalancing effort starting in 2017–2018, the significant revenue shortfalls from declining enrollments—most notably due to declines in retention and transfer students—and compounding costs of unfunded negotiated salary increases, presented us with a difficult budget scenario for 2020–2021 even before COVID-19 created cascading problems throughout the country.

Last week during the October 9 College Senate meeting, Vice President Barnum presented an updated budget projection for 2020–2021 based on our existing challenges and the growing effects of COVID-19. All told, we expect an operating deficit of at least $14.8 million this year. Coupled with an unexpected $8.2 million final operating deficit in 2019–2020 due to pandemic-related expenses and refunds, our unrestricted reserves will be entirely depleted (and running at a deficit) later this academic year. We, along with other SUNY campuses, also face possible 25 percent reductions to university-wide programs (e.g., Educational Opportunity Program) and financial aid programs administered by the Higher Education Services Corporation (e.g., Tuition Assistance Program and Excelsior). These reductions could have an additional $6 million to $8 million impact on our deficit.

Before the pandemic, we planned to leverage our reserves through a multiyear Strategic Resource Planning Process and reset our spending to align with our new revenue reality. This approach would have allowed us to gradually reduce our workforce—which makes up more than 85 percent of our operating budget—through less drastic actions like attrition and retirements. But as noted earlier, we no longer have a two-year window to gradually reduce our spending and the size of our workforce. During her presentation, Vice President Barnum noted that for every $1 million reduction in our operating budget, an average of 14 positions would have to be eliminated. To reduce our expenses by $15 million, we are looking at a likely reduction of 150 to 200 positions to balance our budget. This number could improve if federal stimulus funding is passed and directed to New York State, allowing SUNY to provide our full state tax support allocation. This number could also worsen if additional constraints are placed on university-wide and HESC programs.

Currently, we have in place a freeze on all but essential hires, a prohibition on campus travel, and a strict spending constraints process (PDF, 420 KB). Today I am announcing an immediate 14 percent reduction of all OTPS (other than personal service) accounts in 2020–2021. In the next 30 to 45 days, we will launch a transparent process to plan for significant reductions in campus expenses. A new Bengal Business Forum will create a campuswide setting to discuss new ideas and emerging plans. Please watch the Daily Bulletin for updates and meeting details.

This financial reality is undoubtedly unsettling for all of us. Just as we have overcome the operational challenges of COVID-19 as a campus, we must respond to these financial challenges together. I remain committed to being transparent with you about our financial outlook, and I pledge to continue our close collaborations with campus constituents in the weeks and months ahead.

We have persevered before and we will persevere again. Thank you, as always, for all you continue to do to support Buffalo State’s mission and our talented and promising students.

Be well.

Katherine Conway-Turner
President

I am excited to announce that Yanick Jenkins, director of the Educational Opportunity Program, will present “When Access and Opportunity Meet” as the first speaker in our Elevating Student Success in Our Current Environment Conversation Series on Thursday, October 29, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. via Zoom videoconference. This series is co-sponsored by the Title III Task Force and the Professional Development Center. Please register online.

What does student success mean at Buffalo State College? What are the individual ways that we cultivate student success at the college, and how can we as individuals apply these practices to our own work to support the students we serve? Join us as we learn from our colleagues their definition of student success and the specific practices we as staff or faculty members can apply to better support the intellectual, personal, and professional growth of our students. Each conversation will involve a 10-to-15-minute presentation from a staff or faculty member focused on his or her definition of student success and effective practices that others can apply to their work with students. These conversations will then be followed by a 45-to-50-minute facilitated conversation by a member of the Title III Task Force about how we can apply these practices to our individual work with students. We will also discuss similar practices colleagues found to be effective and build off of the ideas presented to elevate these practices across campus.

About Yanick Jenkins
Born in Au Cap, Haiti, and raised in Spring Valley, New York, Yanick Heriveaux Jenkins has had the honor of serving as the director of the Buffalo State College Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) for 19 years, and as senior adviser for Precollegiate Programs since 2019. As such, she has created an energetic atmosphere for the growth and development of academic scholars and future community leaders.

With a B.S. in social work and a master's in counselor education specializing in counseling minority groups, she worked for eight years as the creator and director of the Office for Multicultural Affairs at D’Youville College. She is also a former EOP adviser at SUNY Brockport and a former HEOP adviser at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has dedicated her life to fostering and supporting the empowerment, leadership, and self-enhancement qualities of all she comes in contact with, paying special attention to those who are marginalized within society.

Ms. Jenkins is the Western New York regional coordinator for the Educational Opportunity Program Directors Group, a 20-year consultant and program facilitator with the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York, a 2001 graduate of Leadership Buffalo, and an active member of the women’s empowerment group Women in the Spotlight Going Global. She partners with EMBRACE WNY, an organization working toward equality for all Western New York residents, especially in the LGBT community; the Young Miss Buffalo Empowerment Training and Pageant; and the Haiti Outreach Program Pwoje Espwa. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. 

I am pleased to announce that the following faculty and staff members will serve on the 2020–2021 Honorary Degree Committee:

Chair: Deborah Silverman, Chair and Associate Professor, Communication Department

Aaron Daniel Annas, Director of the Television and Film Arts Program, Communication Department
Naila Ansari, Assistant Professor, Theater Department
Sarbani Banerjee, Professor, Computer Information Systems Department
William Benfanti, Associate Vice President for Government Relations, Institutional Advancement
Erin Habes, Lecturer, Fashion and Textile Technology Department
Chelsea Kettle, Admissions Adviser, Admissions Office
Patrick Ravines, Director and Associate Professor, Garman Art Conservation Department
Bhakti Sharma, Associate Professor, Art and Design Department

Crystal J. Rodriguez, chief of staff in the President’s Office, will provide staff support to the committee.
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The Honorary Degree Committee is charged with identifying candidates for the State University of New York honorary doctorate, SUNY’s highest academic honor, and preparing nomination portfolios. Honorary degrees are awarded to recognize excellence that exemplifies the mission and purpose of the State University of New York in the following fields: public affairs, the sciences, humanities and the arts, scholarship and education, business and philanthropy, and social services.

Honorary degrees also can honor meritorious or outstanding service to the university, the state of New York, the United States, or humanity at large, or people whose lives serve as examples of the university’s aspirations for its students.

Please forward the names of suggested nominees for SUNY honorary doctorates, along with a brief rationale, to Crystal J. Rodriguez, Cleveland Hall 517, by Wednesday, October 28.

Please join me virtually for Buffalo State College’s annual State of the College address today, October 20, at 12:15 p.m. A direct link to a video stream of the address is now posted on the President’s Office website. The address will also be streamed on the college’s YouTube channel.

During my remarks, I will review our many shared accomplishments and incredible individual contributions that have guided us through the most unique academic year of our lifetimes. I will also set the direction for the campus moving forward as we continue to persevere together and collectively believe in Buffalo State’s future, inspire our students, and achieve success.

Following my address and in lieu of our annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Ceremony, we will honor this year’s recipients of the President’s and Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence and celebrate the individual accomplishments of our colleagues on campus. A digital program highlighting the award winners is also posted on the President’s Office website.

I look forward to having you join me virtually today.

Buffalo State College’s annual State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA)/United Way Campaign began October 19, 2020.

The college has a long tradition of generously giving to organizations that improve the lives of men, women, and children in Western New York, and I am hopeful that we will again surpass our campus goal.

Pledges may be made electronically or through your department's solicitor.

Thanks to all who are leading and participating in the 2020 SEFA/United Way Campaign.

As I mentioned Tuesday in my State of the College address, as a campus we will investigate and challenge our community to define how we can create a permanent representation of our commitment to social justice at Buffalo State College.

To that end, and in consultation with Chief Diversity Officer Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney and Provost Jim Mayrose, I have assembled a working group to lead us in the process of developing a permanent social justice outdoor space—a landmark dedicated to the idea of social justice and Buffalo State’s perpetual commitment to it.

In selecting the location for the social justice space, it is my desire to have the entire college community involved in the decision-making process. I have identified four potential locations on campus for this project. The working group has developed an informative survey that will walk you through each location. At the end, you may vote for your location of choice. Please cast your vote by Friday, November 20.

Once the project site is selected, details regarding future steps in the process will be shared with the campus community. Unveiling of the social justice space will take place Monday, September 13, 2021, as part of our 150th anniversary kickoff celebration.

Working group members:

• John Cabra, Professor, Creativity and Change Leadership
• Drew Kahn, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Theater; Director, Anne Frank Project
• Melissa Meehan, Web Administration Director, Marketing and Communications
• Lisa Morrison-Fronckowiak, Director, Student Accessibility Services; Co-chair, President's Council on Equity and Campus Diversity
• KeunYoung Oh, Chair and Associate Professor, Fashion and Textile Technology; Co-chair, President's Council on Equity and Campus Diversity
• Alice Pennisi, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Art Education Programs, Art and Design
• Sarah Reid, Campus Planner, Campus Planning

The Grant Allocation Committee (GAC) requests proposals from individuals, departments, and student clubs and organizations for funding of programs, speakers, and events to take place during the 2020–2021 academic year. 

All submissions should ensure that any events proposed adhere to current COVID-19 event protocols. The deadline for submitting applications under this funding cycle is Monday, November 30, for spring 2021 program proposals. Applications for funding and complete details of requirements may be found on the Student Affairs website. All proposals must be submitted electronically to marzolam@buffalostate.edu with one hard copy delivered to Cleveland Hall 513.

Questions about the GAC may be addressed to Amanda Marzolf, administrative assistant 2, 878-4704.

On September 22, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order aimed at curbing the use of certain modern diversity, equity, and inclusion training concepts by federal agencies, the Armed Services, and federal contractors and grantees. The Executive Order prohibits training on so called “divisive concepts” and could have a significant impact on how colleges and universities, and public and private organizations across society, address race and sex stereotyping at a time that we are engaged in a national conversation around race and inequitable treatment across society.

This prohibition on discussion of “divisive concepts” is in direct contravention of the State University of New York’s goals, our academic freedom, and our constitutional rights to free speech and expression. Indeed, it is our job as a university system to raise difficult issues, ask tough questions, and move along on an arc that “bends toward justice.”

SUNY has from its inception aimed to be the best, the fairest, and the most culturally competent system of higher education that any institution can be. We object to the Executive Order as a vast, unwarranted, illegitimate overreach.

Facing the reality of discrimination was never meant to be easy. Indeed, the science of implicit bias reveals truths that may cause discomfort, and it is in that place of discomfort that individuals find the motivation and courage to interact with others in ways that promote fairness and create greater cultural understanding.

It is SUNY’s commitment to inclusive excellence that enables its campuses to thrive and its graduates to succeed in the increasingly diverse workplace. And it is this commitment that draws people from around the globe to the enterprise of educating, at SUNY, the next generation of leaders.

Fairness and equity are our goals; education is our mission. By instilling in our workforce and student body an awareness of race and sex stereotypes, the competitive benefits of diverse teams, and research on the science of implicit bias, SUNY has taken critical steps to ensure that everyone in the SUNY community—throughout its 64 colleges and universities—is working toward achieving these goals. This is not “inculcation.” It is a recognition of what is right, legal, and the best path forward.

SUNY was founded in 1948, in part, to provide opportunities for members of disfavored groups who were not among the fortunate enrolled by private colleges. Today SUNY affords African Americans, Jewish Americans, immigrants, indigenous peoples, and members of lower-income, disadvantaged groups—as well as women—access to affordable, high-quality higher education that was illusive a mere 75 years ago. By equipping these individuals with the knowledge and skills to be competent and competitive in an ever-changing environment, SUNY has enhanced their socioeconomic mobility as well as the well-being of all residents of New York State. Even as we look forward to a shared future of increasing opportunity for all, this Executive Order moves us backward to division and inequity, and a requirement that we ban certain books and silence voices and research that do not espouse a particular viewpoint. We join the business community, higher education leaders, religious organizations, and others in urging the White House to reconsider and withdraw this Executive Order.

To see a full list of those signing today’s statement, click here. Chancellor Malatras invites others within SUNY’s community to click on the same link to add their signatures in a demonstration of solidarity.